Selling a house that is dated and "worn."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:it depends on how dated the house looks. If your kitchen has a proper range hood built in appliances and working cabinets then you could get away with sprucing it up however if its got the terrible microwave above the oven or the down draft many people will pass

If you are passing on a house you like and can afford because it has a downdraft, you're an idiot and deserve to spend your life in a rental housing.

+1 -- why would you want the seller to replace that when you obviously have very specific ideas about what you want anyway? Just bake it into your offer price and plan on replacing it. You aren't even talking about a full scale remodel, you are quibbling over a single appliance. This is like passing on a house because you don't like the tile in the second bathroom. Why would owners sit around trying to guess what people like you are going to to want when they could just sell their homes as is and let you figure it out once you buy.

This isn't even what OP is talking about -- they are talking about a 20 year old kitchen with dated cabinets and likely layout that needs a fullscale lift. And the reason it doesn't make sense for OP to do that lift is that no matter how they renovate it, picky buyers will complain even about the brand new cabinets and appliances. Why bother.

This is one of the dumbest things about the modern real estate market -- the idea that every house for sale must be Instagram worthy and perfectly finished. Why? Buy the house and fix it up. That's how it's supposed to work.

No, thanks. I don’t want a project that requires rerouting plumbing and electrical, adding a new vent, cutting into walls, etc. I just want to move in. If the kitchen has a good layout and I only need to think about pulling and replacing appliances or cabinets, I might consider it, but I’m not interested in rearranging walls or structural changes. No one in my age range wants to deal with this; we’re all juggling multiple jobs and raising kids. We’ll just keep waiting.

For context, since my first house in 2005, I’ve followed this rule, and it’s worked out great for me. My first house involved pulling and replacing, which was a hassle but manageable. My second house was a flip, and that worked out perfectly. My third house was a new build that was move-in ready, and my last home was a custom build from the ground up to my specifications.

Building the custom home took a lot of time, and I’m not sure I’d want to go through that process again. For reference, I’m under 45.

DP here but you clearly have a large budget. Many people with more limited budgets will compromise to have a dated but still functional kitchen and bathrooms.

[Anonymous]

Do people really expect to remodel their kitchen every 20 years? We just went through a kitchen remodel and I certainly will not do that again in twenty years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I recently was involved in selling my deceased sister’s house. My brother and I emptied the house and cleaned it like crazy. To me, dated and dirty are 2 different things.

This. Depends on location. In a well off area most people would prefer you leave anything original and have the house squeaky clean especially if it has pre 1950s charm

What year is it from?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't listen to realtors who tell you to renovate. It only benefits them (easier to sell and higher selling price).

Um, easier to sell at a higher price also benefits the seller, genius

Not when that price is being taxed to death and %s are going to the realtor and you are barely recovering the differential

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Houses should be renovated every 10-12 years and buyers expect that. No one under 45 wants to have a project they want HGTV move in ready.

that’s mentally deranged. I guess this is why millennials complain about being unable to afford homes.

Why should we cleanup your used up houses that you haven't been maintaining.

Do you have $3.4 million for the perfect McLean McMansion?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Paint and stage, but do not renovate.

I would not offer allowances but the listing should say something like "price allows you to select your own updates on your schedule."

Why? Some may be looking for a fixer but some may just want to be in the neighborhood and bought the cheapest house. Unless it’s a tear down no need to suggest it needs updates.

That's a fair point, and it depends on how dated it is. Saying something in the listing might prevent buyers coming back with price reductions for the carpet etc. when that’s already priced in. But maybe not.

This. A neighbor of mine bought a house for a steal because it wasn't updated/ weird layout. Granted it didn't need any system updates. She did a kitchen and all bath renovation and took down some walls and it is gorgeous. You can tell it is way better than just a slip, better quality. Another neighbor bought a home flipped and the cabinets, etc look cheaper even though the price was more.

She purchased for $1.2 for a house that would have easily gone for $2-2.5mil if updated, so even with updates she came out ahead. She said the sellers also had no other offers because of the state of the house whereas other homes they put offers in had multiple offers.

Well op if you are going to come out $1.3Mil ahead do the flip

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Trump should target for tariffs countries that produce crappy cabinets, appliances, f tile, light fixtures and West Elm Pottery Barn and other crappy furniture like IKEA and rate and Barrel. People could no longer afford to buy the junk and live with “outdated” kitchen cabinets and re-use quality furniture.

K o flooring and led ceiling fans should be tariffed to oblivion

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Trump should target for tariffs countries that produce crappy cabinets, appliances, f tile, light fixtures and West Elm Pottery Barn and other crappy furniture like IKEA and rate and Barrel. People could no longer afford to buy the junk and live with “outdated” kitchen cabinets and re-use quality furniture.

K o flooring and led ceiling fans should be tariffed to oblivion

*lvp flooring

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, there are little things you can do too. Get a new wall thermostat, for example, with a modern look. It gives a better impression re: the condition of the heating/AC system.

Make sure the front door and front entryway are in great shape.

What makes a shockingly positive difference for minimal cost, especially if you are going to paint, is to have new outlets and outlet covers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you can do the renovation at a very price effective cost, you can get back much more than what you put in. This is basically what flippers do.

Flippers often lose money. You don’t know what you’re talking about.

Umm, if a flipper is losing money in this area, they probably shouldn't be in the business in the first place. Just because your prospects didn't work out, that doesn't mean OPs won't

My prospects of what? Seeing cheap shoddy flips?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do people really expect to remodel their kitchen every 20 years? We just went through a kitchen remodel and I certainly will not do that again in twenty years.

I don’t. But I move houses every few years. I don’t see staying in a house more than 5 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Houses should be renovated every 10-12 years and buyers expect that. No one under 45 wants to have a project they want HGTV move in ready.

that’s mentally deranged. I guess this is why millennials complain about being unable to afford homes.

Why should we cleanup your used up houses that you haven't been maintaining.

Because you have no money?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't listen to realtors who tell you to renovate. It only benefits them (easier to sell and higher selling price).

Um, easier to sell at a higher price also benefits the seller, genius

Except the higher price isn’t a benefit to the seller if you’ve spent more than the gain on renovations. It is a benefit to the realtor who makes a bigger commission.

You’re not very bright, are you?

The commission difference is negligible. An agent might net 100 basis points on a sale. If they get you another $10,000 for a house, that’s $100 in their pocket. Big wow.

The key there is selling quickly. That benefits both seller and agent. This is why interests align.

The biggest job in selling a home is removing all obstacles. So the real question for OP is do you want to sell it quickly or not? Updates are expensive and you might not recover the cost of them completely. But if it takes longer to sell your home, there is an opportunity cost to that, too.

Your fixation on agent compensation demonstrates just how stupid you are and proves you should not be opinining on these matters in a public forum.

And, since I can predict how your pea brain works, I will just cut off your lame retort by affirming I am not an agent, nor am I connected to the real estate industry in any way.

Pretty clear that you are not “connected to the real estate industry in any way.”

You are the pea brain. You are not very bright.

DP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Houses should be renovated every 10-12 years and buyers expect that. No one under 45 wants to have a project they want HGTV move in ready.

that’s mentally deranged. I guess this is why millennials complain about being unable to afford homes.

That is deranged. Who can afford to “renovate” an entire house every 10 years? Two bathrooms and a kitchen cost me over 100k.

apparently you expect the younger buyers to take on the burden of your lack of maintenance and responsibilities, sad

What? Who says the buyers are “younger”? And do you not understand that the market accounts for any lack of maintenance?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:it depends on how dated the house looks. If your kitchen has a proper range hood built in appliances and working cabinets then you could get away with sprucing it up however if its got the terrible microwave above the oven or the down draft many people will pass

If you are passing on a house you like and can afford because it has a downdraft, you're an idiot and deserve to spend your life in a rental housing.

+1 -- why would you want the seller to replace that when you obviously have very specific ideas about what you want anyway? Just bake it into your offer price and plan on replacing it. You aren't even talking about a full scale remodel, you are quibbling over a single appliance. This is like passing on a house because you don't like the tile in the second bathroom. Why would owners sit around trying to guess what people like you are going to to want when they could just sell their homes as is and let you figure it out once you buy.

This isn't even what OP is talking about -- they are talking about a 20 year old kitchen with dated cabinets and likely layout that needs a fullscale lift. And the reason it doesn't make sense for OP to do that lift is that no matter how they renovate it, picky buyers will complain even about the brand new cabinets and appliances. Why bother.

This is one of the dumbest things about the modern real estate market -- the idea that every house for sale must be Instagram worthy and perfectly finished. Why? Buy the house and fix it up. That's how it's supposed to work.

No, thanks. I don’t want a project that requires rerouting plumbing and electrical, adding a new vent, cutting into walls, etc. I just want to move in. If the kitchen has a good layout and I only need to think about pulling and replacing appliances or cabinets, I might consider it, but I’m not interested in rearranging walls or structural changes. No one in my age range wants to deal with this; we’re all juggling multiple jobs and raising kids. We’ll just keep waiting.

For context, since my first house in 2005, I’ve followed this rule, and it’s worked out great for me. My first house involved pulling and replacing, which was a hassle but manageable. My second house was a flip, and that worked out perfectly. My third house was a new build that was move-in ready, and my last home was a custom build from the ground up to my specifications.

Building the custom home took a lot of time, and I’m not sure I’d want to go through that process again. For reference, I’m under 45.

Speaks for literally everyone in their “age group.” lol.